All Tied Up
by JuneLuxray
Summary: Danny's parents are tired of Danny coming home late and skipping class. So, they come up with a unique plan to get him to tell them his secret. In other words? Tie him to the bed and don't let him go 'til he speaks. 'T' for certain content.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own Danny Phantom. Butch Hartman does. Now, I wrote this when it was approaching midnight, and I was tired and too lazy and impatient to find a beta-reader. I didn't look it over much, either. I admit it. I got lazy. I don't promise a miracle with this first chapter. It's what happens when the sleepy teenage girl gets an idea. So, night. *yawn*  
**

Danny snuck in carefully in the middle of the night through the window in the living room of his house. He broke curfew again- a habit he didn't like, but necessary for the safety of the town. He silently thanked the fact his body healed up all the scars and bruises before he got home- less questions for his parents to ask. The chirping of the cricket almost seemed to Danny as if it were scolding him, and Danny almost shushed it. Finally, as he pulled his way through the window, then quietly, quickly pulled the window back down again from the inside and locked it, the lights turned on. His eyes widened.

"Oh...Crap." He muttered to himself as he slowly turned around to see his parents sitting on the couch, waiting, arms crossed, eyes narrowed, directed at their son. Neither looked happy. They waited for him to say something. Danny shuffled his feet and rubbed the back of his neck warily.

"Uhh..." He tried to start. Maddie spoke.

"Again. Really?" Maddie snapped. Danny grimaced.

"...Yes. I'm sorry. Ground me all you want." He said, allowing submission to his parents. In all truth, he had such a bad night he didn't even care how long his cell phone or video games were taken away. He just wanted to sleep...

His parents sighed.

"Danny, why don't you just tell us what's going on? If this keeps happening, we want to know the reason why. We're worried about you. You're tardy to school often, as well. Mr. Lancer said you have a tendency to go to class, then leave and not come back for the rest of the period." Maddie said crossly. "Why?"

Danny looked up with a sad face. "I can't tell you. You...You wouldn't...Well, I'm not doing drugs. I can promise you that. I am not in a gang. It's for the fools. I just can't tell you." Danny said. Maddie stood up, and walked up to him, examining him carefully. She sighed.

"No, doesn't appear you're in a gang...You would have more cuts and bruises, probably. As for drugs, well, your body seems to operate fine. Plus, I could tell if you were. But if it's neither, then _what_?" She asked. "Why don't you trust us?" She whispered. Danny sighed.

"Just trust me. You'd be happier not knowing."

"'Ignorance is Bliss' does _not _happen in the Fenton household, Danny. We'll find out one way or another- you can count on that. As for now, you're grounded until further notice." Jack said firmly. "We love you, son, with all our hearts. We're just concerned." Danny nodded to the punishment.

"I really,_ really_ want to tell you...But I can't. That's that. I accept being grounded- right now, all I wanna do is sleep." Danny said, walking past them, out of the illuminated part of the living room, up the stairs, and slowly closed his door so he didn't wake up Jazz. Maddie and Jack looked distraught.

"Why can't he tell _us_? We're his _parents_. It amazed me how well he took that...I just...Just want to know what's wrong." Maddie said, distressed. Jack didn't look any happier.

"I don't know, Mads. I know at that age, they can be fearful of how people think of them. But...How will we get him to talk?"

Both parents stood in silence, thinking. Jack finally snapped his fingers after about ten minutes. Maddie looked up at him. He turned to her.

"I have an idea that's crazy enough that it might just work..."

* * *

Danny yawned as he woke up to the sweet songs of the birds, the cheery 'chirp chirp' meeting his ears. The 'ooah' of a mourning dove. He tried to sit up and stretch...

But he was stuck. He couldn't move. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw the Fenton Fishing Line tied around him and the mattress, and his parent sitting on chairs next to the bed, asleep with small snores. Danny made a 'eep' sound and tried to squirm out. He accidentally kicked the wall- loudly, too. Both his parents started to wake up, and he tried to squirm more, faster.

Maddie and Jack yawned and stretched, smiling down at the squirming teenage boy before them. Danny looked desperate.

"C'mooonn...This isn't funny! Let me go, please! I gotta go to school!" He shouted. Maddie gave him a cocky look.

"You're not going to school today." She said. Danny froze over solid.

"W-what?" He stuttered out. He _seriously_ did not like where this was going. Jack gave Danny the same look Maddie did.

"You're staying on the bed until we find out what you're hiding...The sooner you speak, the sooner you are free."


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own Danny Phantom. Butch Hartman does. Nor do I own Happy Feet, Spiderman, or Napoleon Dynamite. I do own this story, though.**

Danny looked disbelieving. "Are you_ kidding_ me?" He snapped. His parents said nothing, keeping their cocky grins. Horror crossed Danny's face.

"But- I- but..."

"But nothing. You're free as soon as you tell us what's up." Jack said strongly. Danny sighed irritably. Why him? Why was it always he who got into these situations? Maddie smiled.

"Plus, at least one of us is always going to keep watch to make sure you don't try anything. Jack, would you mind going and getting breakfast I made? It's in the kitchen." Maddie said. Jack nodded, getting up, and closing the door behind him. Maddie's face turned slightly solemn.

"Honey, we _really_ don't like having to go to this measure. If you'd just _tell_ us-"

"I can't!" Danny replied quickly. Maddie groaned.

"So be it. Longer for you to sit here."

"C'mon! I can't tell you." He said.

"And why not? Wait, tell me after breakfast. I can hear your father." She said. Anyone could've heard Jack Fenton coming- his large mass shaking and moving up the stairs. It became more pronounced as he approached the room, eventually stopping as they heard his pause and knock on the door. She let him in, and stacked in his hands were three plates- each having a bagel half, scrambled eggs, and bacon. Maddie took them with a smile.

"Thanks hun."

"No problem. Wait a minute, there's some orange juice in the kitchen, so wait for a minute. I'll be right back." Jack said, leaving again, his rumble sounding as he walked. Danny blinked down at his plate. Then he looked at Maddie.

"Uh, mom, how am I gonna eat if I'm tied down?" He asked worriedly. He swore he heard his mom snicker a little.

"You'll see." A grim look crossed his face. Whenever his mom or dad said that, it always meant bad news. As he heard his dad's bulk coming back up the stairs, he wished his dad would take longer, so his mom couldn't do whatever she was going to do.

But as he thought that, it seemed as if Jack went faster, coming quicker._ Crap. _A moment way too soon, Jack came in the room, holding three glasses, one of which had a straw in it. That was probably his. Maddie set down her plate on the chair, her glass of orange juice next to the plate (carefully so it wouldn't spill). Jack sat down and began to eat, picking at the bacon first. Maddie placed Danny's plate at his side, and stuck a spoon in the eggs. Danny's eyes bulged.

"Oh, heck no. You are NOT feeding me. Just let my hands go- I can do it mysel-" He was cut off by Maddie sticking the food in his mouth. He made a whiny sound, and as he chewed it down, he didn't open his mouth for the next bite. Maddie put a hand to her face irritably.

"Danny, just tell us and I don't have to feed you like a baby!" Danny shook his head 'no'. Maddie thought for a minute, but Jack had an idea.

"Quick, a spaceship!" Jack said, pointing outside.

"WHERE?" Danny shouted, looked toward the window. Maddie quickly shoved some more eggs in his mouth. He froze and looked down at the spoonful of eggs his mom shoved in his mouth. He closed his mouth, and his mom slid the spoon out. Danny only looked somewhat pained as he chewed.

* * *

After breakfast, Danny's parents had tried to get him to talk for a bit. Maddie sighed.

"Well, let's watch a movie for a bit. Maybe you'd want to speak after that?" Danny snorted.

"I doubt it, but sure." He said. Jack shrugged.

"How 'bout _Spiderman_?" He suggested. Danny almost cringed from the idea of a superhero movie. He shook his head. Jack thought a little more, before he smiled in a humorous way.

"_Happy Feet_?" He suggested. Mother and son made disgusted faces. Jack thought for a minute.

"_Napoleon Dynamite_?"

Neither Maddie nor Danny disapproved. They nodded. Jack smiled, went to get the DVD, and came back. They put it on Danny's T.V., and began to watch.

"_Come get some HAM, Tina!_" Napoleon said. Danny cracked up at that. His parents smiled.

_"Gimme some of your tots, Napoleon!"_

Danny snorted. "I can't think of _anyone_ like that at all." Maddie and Jack gave him looks for the sarcasm.

"Who?" Maddie asked. Danny froze.

"Uh, no one." He replied quickly. Jack frowned.

"Now, Danny, if there's someone who bothers you, we'd like to kno-"

"It's no big deal. I promise you, every time he bothers me, I handle it well." He said, smirking as he thought of when he stuck teddy bears in his locker. Priceless.

"Oh? And how would that be?" Maddie asked, crossing her arms.

"Uh...I'll just say 'Jack Fenton' toilet paper." He said with a grin. While Jack looked kind of proud of Danny's pranking hint, Maddie looked mad.

"Daniel Fenton, you know better than to T.P. someone's locker, even if they are rude to you!" She said with a scolding tone. "Next time he's rude to you, please inform Mr. Lancer."

He sighed, annoyed, but nodded. Jack gave him a quick wink.

As the film went on, they laughed at certain parts. Uncle Rico somewhat reminded Danny of Vlad, but he didn't say anything, of course. He forgot all about telling his parents- until the movie was over.

Maddie smiled at him.

"Will you tell us yet, Danny?" She asked. Danny's feeling of worry came back.

"I-I can't." He stuttered. "You-you..."

"We would what?" Jack asked, confused. Danny sighed.

"Let's just say you wouldn't a-accept me."


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Danny Phantom. Butch Hartman does. I do own this story, though. Thanks to ghostgal4 for looking at this before it went out.  
**

"WHAT?" Maddie and Jack shouted. Danny groaned.

"You wouldn't." He said simply. Both shook their heads.

"No! Of course we would! Jack protested. "We accept everyone, son! Especially you!"

"I second that!" Maddie said right after. Danny looked away from them. Accept _everyone_? Even a half-ghost? One of only two- no, three counting Dani- in existence. He silently mulled over the idea, unsure what to say.

"Danny."

Danny didn't respond to his mother's voice.

"Danny. Look. At. Me." Maddie said a little firmer. He slowly turned his head to look at them. Their eyes were soft. "Danny, you are our _son_. We love you no matter what." She said. Danny felt a little urge to tell them, but it was quickly smashed under doubt.

"Uh...Well...It's nothing like what you might be expecting. _NOTHING_ like it. I'm not sure how you would react." He muttered. His parents' facial expressions didn't change.

"We don't care." Jack said. Danny looked helpless.

"I...I..."

"You?" Maddie said.

"I...Please don't make me tell." He said almost inaudibly.

"Why not?" Jack responded.

"I'm just not...Ready. Just...Can I have more time to think about it? Can I just be left for a bit to my own thoughts?" Danny asked. His mother and father turned to speak with each other for a moment, before turning back.

"Fine. Call us when you're ready. Try to leave, and we tie you down again- this time not letting you loose." Maddie said. Danny nodded his head, and both left, Jack looking reluctant.

The boy sat there, not sure what to do. One side wanted to tell them. One side said 'no way'. On one hand, he wanted to tell them just to be rid of the secret and the pressure released, but the other was afraid of not being accepted. Being kicked out or experimented on. He felt like both sides were playing 'Tug-of-War', yanking. Yet neither side could gain the upper hand.

_"I want to tell them...Did they really mean what they said? There seemed to be truth in their words. But...Ghost hunters plus half ghost equals acceptance? I doubt it. What now, Fenton? Which path are you taking?"_ He thought to himself tensely. _"Knowing my parents, they're not gonna let me go until I say _something_. What do I do, what do I do...? Oh, why am_ I _always in these situations?_" He thought.

His parent's footsteps woke him up from his thoughts. He heard them approaching quick. He worried why they were coming up- but as they opened the door, Maddie and Jack gave him sincere looks of concern.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?" Maddie asked. Danny blinked for a moment.

"Uh...Y-yeah. Why do you ask?" He mumbled. Jack frowned.

"We heard you hyperventilating." Jack said. Danny stopped, and listened to his breathing. He took a breath and calmed down, and looked back up at his parents.

"I-I'm fine." He lied. "I...Uh..."

"Danny, you were not 'fine'. We heard you start to panic within five minutes after we left. What's wrong?" Maddie inquired. Danny took another breath.

"I was...Debating...Some-something important." He said.

"You mean whether or not to tell us?" Jack asked. Danny sucked in a breath.

"Yeah." He said honestly. Maddie smiled at him.

"Sweetheart, you can tell us anything. Even if you don't think we'd understand, you can tell us whatever you want- and need- to." She said earnestly. Danny closed his eyes, thinking about that tone. That was the same tone that came whenever he was scared or anxious ever since he was a child. From getting shots to going to the dentist, that same tone of voice, although not asking the question she just asked, was spoken whenever she knew he needed it.

Memories flooded. He and his family laughing, loving, and supporting each other. Would it be the same support for this?

Opening his eyes again to his waiting parents, he took a breath.


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own Danny Phantom. Butch Hartman does. I do own this story, though. I didn't really like how this came out, so please give me an honest opinion. Thank you.  
**

Danny fought down waves of nausea, his face becoming considerably paler. He opened his mouth in attempt to say something, but had trouble. It had dried up, as if it had baked all day long under the hot sun.

Maddie moved up to him, and ignored his flinch as she came closer, and she began to stroke his hair calmly. That made him feel better. Enough to speak, at least.

"I-I...Uh...Do-do you guys think it's possible for any ghost to be good if it chooses?" He asked. His parents gave him odd looks.

"Uh...What does this have to do with-"

"Just answer it." Danny said, interrupting Jack. His father sighed.

"I _suppose_, but it'd be a _very_ rare chance. Most ghosts are malevolent. Why do you ask?" Jack asked dubiously. Danny took another breath and released.

"Well-" He was stopped by his ghost sense. Maddie and Jack looked at it in confusion.

"What was _that_?" Maddie asked curiously. Danny wasn't sure what to say or do- before a loud BOOM sounded from downstairs. Danny's eyes widened. _Crap._

His parents instantly snapped into action, pulling the ecto-guns they brought everywhere from their sides. Maddie briefly told Danny to stay put, and she and Jack ran out of the door. Danny sighed in relief, but with worry as well. He glared down at the rope holding him down. Even if he went ghost, he'd still be stuck there by the line- it was tied around his wrists, so he couldn't just carefully maneuver through the not-tied mattress intangibly.

"Great, what now?" Danny thought to himself anxiously.

* * *

Maddie and Jack ran down the stairs from the second floor, then to the next flight to the lab. Not caring if they might trip, they ran after what was there. The soft carpet beneath their feet were replaced by cold steel as they went down to the lab. Finally reaching ground level, they stopped at the state of the lab.

It was completely trashed- vials were broken, books pushed off the shelf, things spilled. But the ghost was nowhere to be found. Jack saw a slightly bruised Fenton thermos on the ground, which he went and picked up for when they found the ghost. Maddie quickly eyed a device on the floor with a cracked screen, but it appeared to be alright otherwise. She recognized it as the 'Fenton Ghost Detector'. Quickly picking it up, Maddie started typing in some things. Jack walked up behind her with the thermos, watched as she pushed some buttons, and a moment later on the screen came a 3D, see-through model of the house.

In Danny's room, there were two green dots.

Two ghosts.

Dropping it without a word, both instantly turned around and ran back, scared out of their minds for Danny.

* * *

Danny squirmed against the line, but it was no good. He groaned as the sense went off again, and it was no surprise to him when Skulker flew up through the floor.

"Skulker!" Danny snapped. "Should've known you'd take advantage of this." He muttered. Skulker stopped for a moment.

"Ghost child, _why_ are you tied to the bed?" He asked. Danny rolled his eyes.

"My mom and dad want to find out why I keep 'disappearing' on them so much. Not that you care. What was that explosion?" He demanded. Skulker grinned.

"Target practice for my new weapons."

"Dude, don't you have better things to do in your spare time? Like, make out with your girlfriend or something?" Danny said with a glare. Skulker frowned.

"She still thinks I'm a lousy hunter! But, I can't take your hide, ghost child, like this. It's far too easy." Skulker said, somewhat disappointed.

"Lovely. Just a lovely image right there." Danny remarked dryly.

* * *

Maddie and Jack ran up, and right before Jack could slam his large hand down on the door handle, Maddie stopped him to open the door slower, quieter to sneak up on the ghosts. Silently opening the door, they looked inside.

They saw a large, mechanical ghost in front of them, blocking their view of Danny- except for part his legs, which were flailing a little. While they wondered for a minute where the other ghost was, they heard the ghost talking.

"...What was that explosion?" They heard Danny ask fearlessly, strongly.

"Target practice for my new weapons." Their ears heard the ghost say proudly. They shared a confused look. Why was a _ghost_ conversing with their _son_?

"Dude, don't you have better things to do in your spare time? Like, make out with your girlfriend or something?" Danny snorted. _Yep, that's Danny for ya, alright. _Both parents thought, noting his slight humor in his words.

"She still thinks I'm a lousy hunter! But, I can't take your hide, ghost child, like this. It's far too easy." The ghost replied. Danny's parents mentally gasped. _Ghost_ child?

"Lovely. Just a lovely image right there." Danny said dryly. He scoffed. "Why are you here, then, anyhow?"

"I was going to come take your pelt, but your parents decided to take all the fun out of it. Lucky for you today, ghost child." Skulker said irritably. Danny snarled at him, and pointed a loose finger at Skulker, allowing an ecto-blast to hit him. Skulker was pushed back a bit, but his armor protected him from the zap. He narrowed his eyes and began to walk back up to Danny, this time letting a glowing green blade come out of his wrist.

Jack growled and finally used the Fenton thermos upon seeing the ghost begin to advance with a blade after something pushed him back- he didn't see what, though.

Danny charged up another blast, but before it hit Skulker, the ghost was pulled back by the thermos, leaving Danny's ecto-blast to escape it's target. His parents stopped and stared at the beam that went by, Jack subconsciously capping the thermos. He ducked as it went past his head and hit the wall, leaving a smoking hole there. Turning to see where it came from, they stopped at seeing Danny's index finger have green smoke coming off of the tip, with Danny staring with wide eyes at his parents, who stared back in mute shock.

No one said a thing.


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own Danny Phantom. Butch Hartman does. I do own this story, though. A clever anonymous reviewer got close to the idea I was going for. Enjoy.**

There was complete and utter silence for a while. Just staring back at each other. Danny eventually couldn't stare any longer, and kept his head down, looking at the rope. Anywhere but the painful awkwardness of his parent's eyes.

Neither parent had expected _this_ to be their son's secret. Or at least part of it. They heard Danny mutter something softly.

"Should I get out?" He asked slowly. Maddie and Jack gasped.

"Of course not, son! We're just a bit confused...And shocked. Mostly shocked." Jack said quickly.

"Guess you weren't kidding when you said this wouldn't be anything we expected." Maddie said with a grin. "What was that?" She asked, this time in pure confusion. Danny took a breath.

"An ecto-blast." He said honestly. His parents gasped again.

"How...How can you do that, though? That's a ghost..." She stopped before she said the next word in a somewhat frozen way. "...P-power." She stuttered. Jack looked just as shocked again. Danny honestly couldn't believe he was doing this, saying what he was saying.

"Well...Do you guys wanna know how the portal got working?" He said. Both parents snapped to attention, waiting intently. Danny closed his eyes tight as he spoke.

"After you two left when you were disappointed, I decided to have a look around to see if I could fix anything. I went inside the portal, and felt my hand against the wall to watch where I was going. Though, after walking in a few feet, my hand pressed down against something, and the portal turned on. It electrocuted me in the process of turning on, somehow giving me ghost powers." He said. Maddie and Jack simultaneously slapped a hand to their face.

"Why did we put the 'ON' button inside of the portal?" Maddie groaned. "You got electrocuted, it being our fault. We're sorry, sweetheart."

Danny smiled. "It's alright. The powers have proven useful in more than one situation."

Jack looked like a kid on Christmas. "What are your _other_ powers?" He asked giddily. Danny had to laugh at that.

"Invisibility, intangibility, flight, ice powers, ghostly wail, duplication- which I still haven't fully mastered, but getting much better at- and some others, but I don't use them quite as often as the ones I mentioned." He said. Both parents were amazed.

"Can we see any of them?" Maddie asked. Danny rolled his eyes.

"Sure, when I'm loose. I can't use some of them when I'm tied up." He snorted. Maddie nodded.

"You told us the secret- if that's all of it. For now, that should be enough. Gimme a minute..." She said, walking up and beginning to undo the line. Jack helped undo it, as well. As soon as Danny was free, he jumped off the bed excitedly.

"YES! You guys have no idea how happy I am to be free." He said, rubbing his stiff wrists. His parents waited to see his powers silently, excitedly (especially in Jack's case). Danny turned an arm intangible, and stuck it in the mattress. Looking at his parents, they were staring at the see-through arm above the mattress. Jack stuck a finger through the arm, marveling at it. Pulling his finger away a moment later, Danny pulled his hand out, allowing tangibility to come back.

He then turned invisible, smirking slightly as his parents shouted in surprise at his absence from view.

"Guys, I'm right here. Invisibility? Remember?" He said. His parents gave an 'oh'. Turning visible again, it seemed to make both of his parents relieved. He then closed his right hand, then held it up to Maddie and opened it. Inside was a sparkling little ice crystal. Maddie gasped in wonder.

"Oh, it's beautiful. Is that for me?" She asked as he placed it in her hand. He nodded.

"Doesn't melt, either. Or, it takes ghost energy to melt it. I found that out by accident. It's better you not ask." He said. His parents chuckled a little at that. Jack looked excited.

"Can we see that ghostly wail?" He asked. Danny shook his head.

"Not unless you want me to destroy the house." Maddie looked awed.

"You have an ability _that_ powerful?" She asked. Her son nodded.

"That, and I usually lose a lot of energy when I use it." He said. Jack seemed to remember something.

"Wait, didn't the detector say there was another ghost in here, Mads?" He asked. Maddie stopped.

"You're right. Where is it? We were so taken back we forgot about it!" She said, looking around. Danny's eyes widened. He had to tell them.

"Mom...Dad..." He said, getting their attention. Their eyes flew over to their son.

"There's half a ghost in here...Me. I'm half-ghost."


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own Danny Phantom. Butch Hartman does. I didn't really like how the end came out, so be honest. Thank you.  
**

Maddie rolled her eyes and turned away without a word, which made Danny's heart skip a beat. Was he just rejected? Jack snorted.

"Yeah, we kinda knew that, son." Jack said. "There's no way you could have ghost powers without being part ghost."

Danny relaxed, but stared with an open mouth. "I...Uh...Oh." He said. Maddie said something without turning back as she searched the closet.

"Your father and I might be clueless for not noticing your powers before, but we're not dumb enough to not pick that fact up." She said. "We love you, son. No matter what. Did you think we didn't mean it? We knew you were half-ghost when you said you have ghost powers. We've been studying ghosts for years. We're smart enough to piece it together." She finished, giving him a smile. Danny smiled back, but then his face turned to confusion.

"If I'm half-ghost, then why are you searching for another ghost?" He asked. Jack shrugged.

"We're not entirely sure the thing would pick you up on it, as you only have a half-ghost body." He said. "We're just making sure."

"Oh." Danny said flatly. He sighed. "Guys, it's counting me. One, my ghost sense- that blue wisp you saw come out of my mouth earlier- would go off. Two, your other inventions have been directed to me before. Remember the Boomerang? That thing kept hitting me in the back of the head." Maddie and Jack stopped at that.

"...Right..." Both parents said weakly, stopping their search and turning red.

"...We knew that." Jack said. Danny laughed.

"Sureee you did. That's why you searched the room."

"Hush." Maddie muttered. Jack placed his hand on the back of his neck.

"So...Can...Can we see your ghost form?" He asked hopefully. Danny froze.

"Uhh...On a few conditions." He said. His parents listened.

"One. You _will_- and repeat- _will_ recognize me. Any bad thing I look like I've done I was framed for. I promise you. Two...Huh. Guess that's it." He said. His parents smiled and nodded at him. He took in a breath.

"Alright...Well, here goes." He said, closing his eyes and allowing the ring to form around his midsection, then splitting in two, one going up, one going down. He heard his parents gasp as the upper one went up, showing the famous DP logo. Once they had finished the transformation, Danny still didn't open his eyes out of fear. His parents were dead silent.

Maddie and Jack stared at their son. Their son was Danny Phantom. The ghost boy they hunted on a regular basis. They waited for him to open his eyes, but it seemed as if he had glued them shut. Maddie slowly walked forward, and grabbed Danny in a hug. Her son was stiff for a minute, before he finally loosened and hugged back. He felt Jack joining in on the hug happily, and he grinned as he tried to not let tears of joy spill from his eyes. This made him feel so, _**so**_ much better. To finally be accepted. To not hold the secret in his own home.

Danny finally opened his now glowing green eyes, seeing his parents' proud smiles on their faces. When his folks finally pulled back, Jack pulled Maddie to his side and wiped a tear away from his eye.

"Woulda look at him, Mads? We raised a hero- a _ghost-hunting_ hero. _Our_ son. I couldn't be prouder!" Jack said, wiping away tears of pride. "We love ya, kid." He finished. Danny was grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Thank you...I love you guys, too. Um, when I looked like I was kidnapping the mayor, he was overshadowed and trying to make my world a 'prison', a-and when I stole stuff, it's 'cause Freaksho-" His mouth was covered by Maddie. She let go a minute later. Danny looked slightly annoyed from having his speech interrupted, but shrugged it off. Maddie only shrugged back.

"The first one was good, the second one was enough by the fact that the clown you were about to mention was arrested." She said. He grinned in response. Jack put a hand on Danny's shoulder.

"So, new sidekick, let's go have some fudge cake!"

Danny cast a look at his mom that said 'why am I the sidekick?'. Jack managed to catch that.

"Because you're still a minor." Jack said simply. Danny sighed. His parents ignored that.

"Now, time for fudge!" Jack said excitedly, running out of the room, probably to go get his precious fudge cake downstairs. Maddie put an arm around Danny as he changed back to normal, and both walked out to join Jack.

**FIN**


End file.
